Randy Feltface Announces Australian And New Zealand Tour For Gimmick

Randy Feltface will take his new stand-up show Gimmick across Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2027, with 20 performances scheduled from Wellington to Darwin.

by Paul Cashmere

Australian puppet comedian Randy Feltface will return to Australia and New Zealand in February 2027 with his new stand-up show Gimmick, beginning in Wellington on February 1 before travelling through New Zealand and every Australian state and territory. Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 3 at 10am local time.

The tour will open at Wellington Opera House before moving to Christchurch and Auckland. Randy will then cross the Tasman for an extensive Australian run, including performances in Canberra, Thirroul, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Caloundra, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, Cairns and Darwin.

The new show takes its title from one of the recurring questions surrounding Randy’s career: whether a comedian operating a purple puppet can be regarded as more than a novelty act. In Gimmick, Randy has chosen to confront the premise directly, using the concept as the basis for an hour of stand-up.

According to the supplied description, the show combines observational material, cultural commentary, existential themes and a deliberately self-aware approach to Randy’s status as a puppet performer. The format continues a characteristic feature of his solo work, in which the distinction between character and performer becomes part of the comedy itself.

Randy Feltface is the stage creation of Australian puppeteer and comedian Heath McIvor. McIvor began working in puppetry as a teenager, joining Melbourne children’s theatre company Polyglot Theatre in 1993. His subsequent work included puppetry on productions connected with The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Walking With Dinosaurs: The Live Experience.

Randy’s origins were considerably less calculated than his later international career might suggest. McIvor and collaborators were developing a puppet musical when an opportunity emerged to create a workplace bullying presentation. A third puppet was required for the production and the character that became Randy was built using materials and improvised arm rods.

The workplace presentation did not produce the desired response, but McIvor recognised potential in the character. Randy was subsequently adapted into a stand-up performer for the Pure Puppet Palaver comedy event.

Randy began making appearances on the stand-up circuit around 2005. His first full-length solo show, Randy’s Postcards From Purgatory, debuted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2009. The character’s fictional biography became an important part of the act, with Randy presenting an increasingly elaborate life story while routinely acknowledging the artificial nature of his existence.

That tension between character and reality has remained central to the act. Randy has frequently broken the fourth wall, including jokes about being a puppet, his restricted physical movement and the fact that he cannot literally see the audience in the conventional sense.

Randy’s career also developed alongside Australian comedian Sammy J. The pair first met after sharing a bill and subsequently performed together at Melbourne’s Butterfly Club as Sammy J & Randy.

Their collaboration expanded into a series of live shows, including Ricketts Lane, Bin Night, The Inheritance and Sammy J & Randy: The Arena Spectacular. Their recorded work included Sammy J & Randy’s Difficult First Album, while their television collaboration became the ABC sitcom Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane in 2015.

The partnership also produced recognition within Australia’s music and comedy industries. Bin Night was nominated for Best Comedy Release at the 2013 ARIA Music Awards, while their live work continued to establish Randy beyond the confines of conventional puppet theatre.

Randy’s solo career developed in parallel. Following Postcards From Purgatory came Randy Is Sober, Randy Writes a Novel, The Book of Randicus, Modus Operandy, Purple Privilege, Inhale, Exile, Alien of Extraordinary Ability, Feltopia and First Banana. Gimmick was listed among his live shows in 2025.

His screen and broadcast work has likewise extended internationally. Randy competed on NBC’s Bring the Funny in 2019, appearing in the American comedy competition’s second round. He has also appeared on Netflix’s Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun and recorded Randy Feltface’s Destruction Manual for BBC Radio 4.

The 2027 itinerary is notable for its geographic reach. Rather than concentrating on the major capital cities, the tour includes regional centres such as Alice Springs, Caloundra and Toowoomba, alongside performances in each Australian state and territory.

The Australian leg begins in Canberra on February 5 and concludes in Darwin on March 5. In between, Randy will perform at major theatres including Sydney’s State Theatre, Melbourne’s Palais Theatre, Brisbane’s QPAC and Perth’s Regal Theatre.

The New Zealand and Australian dates place Gimmick within a continuing international touring career that has taken Randy’s distinctive form of stand-up beyond its original Melbourne comedy-club setting. The character’s longevity has also demonstrated that the puppet itself can function as a central part of a sustained comedy persona rather than simply as a theatrical device.

Gimmick therefore represents a deliberate return to the question that has followed Randy throughout his career. Rather than attempting to distance himself from the label, Randy has made the accusation the premise of his latest show.

Tour Dates

February 1, Wellington, Opera House
February 2, Christchurch, James Hay Theatre
February 3, Auckland, Bruce Mason Centre
February 5, Canberra, Canberra Theatre
February 6, Thirroul, Anita’s Theatre
February 8, Newcastle, Civic Theatre
February 9, Sydney, State Theatre
February 10, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
February 12, Geelong, The Playhouse
February 13, Hobart, Odeon Theatre
February 15, Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
February 17, Perth, Regal Theatre
February 20, Alice Springs, Araluen Arts Centre
February 21, Brisbane, QPAC
February 22, Caloundra, Events Centre
February 24, Toowoomba, Empire Theatre
February 25, Gold Coast, The Star
February 27, Cairns, Performing Arts Centre
March 5, Darwin, AANT Centre